Belt-punch and knife-blade.



R. L. SHEPARD.

BELT PUNCH AND KNIFE BLADE, APPLICATION TILED NOV. 6, 1908;

969,303. Patented Sept. 6, 1910.

UNITED s'rArns PATENT oFFIoE.

ROBERT LAWRENCE SHEPARD, 0F WARWICK, NEW YORK.

BELT-PUNCH AND KNIFE-BLADE.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, ROBERT LAWRENCE SHEPARD, a citizen of the United States, residing at Varwick, in the county of Orange and State of New York, have invented a new and useful Belt Punch and Knife- Blade, of which the following is a specificat-ion.

This invention relates to belt punches and more particularly to a combined punch and pocket knife.

Heretofore, pocket-knives containing belt punches have been constructed with one of the blades thereof provided on one side with a curved surface and on its other side with a concaved face defining a laterally projecting cutting lip so that when the blade is inserted in a leather belt and rotated a circular opening will be produced for the reception of a lacereceiving eyelet. This cutting lip, however, is curved rearwardly and projects beyond the plane of the adjacent fiat portion of the blade, thereby to cause the lip to gouge out circular chips from the wood or other material being operated upon when the blade is used for cutting in the usual manner. Moreover, the cutting lip being extended beyond the plane of the flat portion of the blade is exposed throughout its entire length and often becomes nicked by contact with a foreign body, thus requiring the employment of an especially con structed machine or tool for sharpening the same. The concavity also materially weakens the blade and prevents the latter from being used as an ordinary straight edged knife.

The object of the present invention is to obviate the above defects and to provide a pocket-knife, one of the blades of which may be used for cutting circular openings without the necessity of concaving the blade, thus materially strengthening the blade and permitting the latter to be sharpened by an unskilled person.

A further object is to provide a knife blade which may be used for cutting either circular or elongated openings and which may also be used for cutting pencils, wood or other material in the same manner, as an ordinary straight edged knife.

A further object of the invention is to provide a knife having a flat face and a curved rear portion, there being a straight cutting edge disposed at the juncture of the Specification of Letters Patent. Application filed November 6, 1908.

Patented Sept. 6, 1910. Serial No. 461,407.

flat face and rear blade.

A still further object of the invention is generally to improve this class of devices so as to increase theirgutility, durability and efliciency as well as to reduce the cost of manufacture.

Further objects and advantages will appear in the following description, it being understood that various changes in form, proportions and minor details of construction may be resorted to within the scope of the appended claims.

In the accompanying drawings forming a part of this specification Figure l is a side elevation of a combined knife and belt punch constructed in accordance with my invention, the hole cutting blade being shown in open position. Fig. 2 is a similar view showing the blade in closed position. Fig. 3 is an elevation of the blade detached and looking at the curved face thereof. Fig. 4 is a similar view looking at the flat face of the blade. Fig. 5 is a transverse sectional view taken on the line 55 of Fig. 4. Fig. 6 is a diagrammatical view showing the manner of forming a circular opening in a strip of leather or other material. Fig. 7 a similar view showing the manner of forniing an elongated slot or opening. Fig. 8 is a diagrannnatical view showing the knife used as an ordinary straight edged knife. Fig. 9 is an edge view of the blade.

Similar numerals of reference indicate corresponding parts in all of the figures of the drawings.

The combined cutting blade and punch forming the subject matter of the present invention is especially designed for attach-- ment to a pocket-knife and by way of illustration' is shown in connection with a pocketknife of the ordinary construction in which designates the handle, and 6 and 7 the blades pivotally mounted on the handle and foldable downwardly to closed position within the latter, as best shown in Fig. 2 of the drawings.

One of the blades 7 is inclined or tapered from the heel 8 to the free end of the blade, the latter being curved or rounded at 9 and provided with a cutting edge so as to permit the blade to readily penetrate the leather or other material when it is desired to form an opening therein. 1

One side of the blade 7 is provided with curved portion of the a convex face 10 extending from the rear edge of the blade to the cutting edge 11, thereby presenting a curved or rounded surface and serving toguide the blade in the path of a circle when the handle is rotated to effect the cutting operation. The opposite side of the blade 7 is provided with a flat face 12 extending the entire length of the blade and from the back of the blade to the cutting edge 11.

By forming one side of the blade with a flat surface and the other with a convex surface a perfectly straight longitudinally disposed ture of said faces thus permitting the blade to be used in the ordinary manner for cutting pencils, wood or other material, as best illustrated in Fig. 8 of the drawings. The flat face 12, also permits the knife to be sharpened without the employment of a spe cially constructed tool, it being merely necessary to place the blade flat face down on an oil stone and reciprocate the blade thereover in the usual manner to effect the sharpening of the edge 11.

In using the device for forming an eyelace receiving opening the terminal 9 of the blade is introduced in the leather and the handle 5 rotated thus causing the edge 11 to cut or sever the leather, while the rear face 10 guides the blade in the path of a circle during the rotation of the handle, as best shown in Fig. 6 of the drawing. When it is desired to form an elongated opening in the leather, it is merely necessary to insert the terminal 9 of the knife in the leather and partly rotate the handle to produce one of the curved end walls of the slot and then exert a straight forward pull on the handle, the blade being guided and maintained in a straight line during the forward movement of said blade by the flat face 12 thereof, as best shown in Fig. 7 of the drawing. If desired, however, the. opposite curved walls of the slot may be formed first and the straight edge 11 of the blade used for cutting or severing the material between the end walls of the slot, the result accomplished being the same in both instances.

Attention is here called to the fact that the flat face 12 not only permits the blade to be used in the ordinary manner as a straight edged knife, but also renders the blade stronger and more durable than when cutting edge is disposed at the juncone side of the blade is concaved. It will also be noted that by having the blade the heel thereof to the tertapered from blade may be employed f( r minal 9, said cutting holes of different cross sectional diameter.

Thus it will be seen that there is produced a blade capable of being readily manufactured and sharpened when dull; which may be used for cutting either elongated or circular openings in leather or other material, and which may also be used as an ordinary straight edge knife.

Having thus described the invention what is claimed is 1. A knife-blade having its edges conergingly tapered from its shank to a point at the free end and having one side formed flat from edge to edge and the other side convexly curved from edge to edge.

2. A knife-blade having its edges con- Verged to a point at its free end and having one side formed flat from edge to edge and the other side convexly curved from edge to edge.

3. A knife-blade having its free end sharpened on both edges and having one side formed flat from edge to edge and the other side convexly curved from edge to edge.

ff. A knife-blade having its free end sharpened and having one side formed flat from edge to edge and the other side convexly curved from edge to edge.

5. A knife-blade having one side formed flat from edge to edge and the other side convexly curved from edge to edge.

6. A combined knife-blade and beltpunch, consisting of a blade having a round, sharp end, a flat face all portions of which are in one plane, and an opposite face convex throughout to provide a round bearing surface co-extensive with the blade, the juncture of the said flat and convex faces forming a longitudinal straight cutting edge lying entirely within the plane of the fiat face.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my own, I have hereto afiixed my signature in the presence of two witnesses.

ROBT. LAWVRENOE SHEPARD.

WVitnesses:

FRANK WV. CLARK, WM. H. MIDDLETON. 

